Surprises in Florida--Medicare messaging rundown--Palin says Obama should dump Biden for Hillary--Duffy son practices logrunning in first--DCCC spot hits West

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STEARNS SURPRISED – LAST NIGHT’S SHOCKER: “Rep. Cliff Stearns was refusing to concede late Tuesday night to a veterinarian who has never held elected office. But by all appearances, Florida voters had delivered a stunning defeat to the Republican subcommittee chairman who put the White House on the hot seat over Solyndra and helped trigger this year's Komen-Planned Parenthood blowup,” Bob King writes. “Political novice Ted Yoho, leading by 829 votes out of 63,690 counted with all precincts reporting, wasn't waiting to celebrate victory.” Hard story: http://politi.co/PoIVsB. Sidebar on the Yoho: http://politi.co/OblBfZ.

PROGRESSIVES EXCITED – GRAYSON’S GAMBIT WORKED: Florida Democrat Alan Grayson, the progressive darling fighting to get back to Congress after losing in 2010, ran attack ads from the right against the strongest Republican in the GOP primary that would determine who faced him. Sure enough, Osceola County Commission Chair John Quiñones lost last night and a candidate who has previously failed twice to win the GOP nomination prevailed. National Democrats are rejoicing. The Orlando Sentinel has more: http://bit.ly/ROr6G4.

TEA PARTY DEFEATED – MICA CRUSHES ADAMS: John Mica, a 10-term veteran who chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, won by a commanding 61 percent to 39 percent over Sandy Adams, a freshman congresswoman who sought to harness the energy of conservative activists in her underdog bid, Alex Isenstadt reports. http://politi.co/PcqTML

TOMMY VERSUS TAMMY – THOMPSON WINS IN WISCONSIN: “Tommy Thompson won a fierce Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday on the theme of electability, as voters agreed with the former governor's claim that he represented the best chance to win the seat in November and help the GOP regain control of the Senate,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. “Thompson, 70, defeated businessman Eric Hovde, home builder and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann and Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald in a primary that languished for months in the shadow of recall politics. He now faces U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, in a race that likely will turn on the key issues of taxes, energy and health care.” Thompson was the Republican’s best hope to win this seat, but Baldwin remains the favorite. As expected, Connie Mack and Linda McMahon won their primaries. Story: http://bit.ly/SlWwB7. Dave Catanese on how Thompson fended off the challenges from the right: http://politi.co/NlNvY4

SCOREBOARD: Thompson, 34; Hovde, 30.9; Neumann, 22.8; Fitzgerald, 12.4. This was the closest Republican Senate primary in Wisconsin since the special held after Joe McCarthy’s death: http://bit.ly/Pjx0hG.

NOLAN’S COMEBACK – CLINTON’S CANDIDATE FAILS IN MINNESOTA: “Former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan was a step closer to reclaiming a seat in Congress late Tuesday, after being named the winner in the three-way DFL primary in northern Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District,” the Star Tribune’s Kevin Diaz reports. “Nolan now faces first-term Republican Chip Cravaack in what promises to be a nationally watched race…Running closely behind were former state Rep. Tarryl Clark and former Duluth City Council Member Jeff Anderson…For Clark, the race was her second consecutive high-profile bid for Congress, having lost to Sixth District Republican Michele Bachmann in one of the most expensive U.S. House races of 2010… Former President Bill Clinton endorsed Clark, as he did in her run against Bachmann in 2010. Former Vice President Walter Mondale, along with much of the Minnesota DFL establishment, backed Nolan.” http://bit.ly/QBcwha

WISCONSIN EXCLUSIVE – SEAN DUFFY PUTS FAMILY FRONT AND CENTER IN FIRST AD: The freshman congressman reintroduces himself to Wisconsin voters with an adorable commercial that shows him sawing a log with his son, encouraging his daughter as she throws a tomahawk and helping another son practice log running. “There’s a lumberjack tradition in my family, and that’s why it’s important for Rachel and me to pass those Wisconsin values on to our children starting when they’re young,” the father of six says, wearing a flannel shirt with that winning smile that made him a reality TV star. “But if Washington keeps spending money we don’t have, their future won’t be bright.” Watch: http://bit.ly/NDCdh1.

NORTH DAKOTA SNEAK PEEK – HEITKAMP TELLS BERG TO STOP SMEAR CAMPAIGN: “All these ads attacking Heidi Heitkamp for Rick Berg: bogus, a lie, paid for by dark money outside interests, forced off the air for false claims,” a disgusted male narrator says in a 30-second commercial that responds to two attacks recently leveled in ads attacking the Democratic candidate. “Heidi’s staff using a plane? It was a drug enforcement agent tracking drug dealers! Rick Berg should stop the smear campaign.” Watch: http://bit.ly/ROsDMr.

As Ryan meets with Adelson at a closed “finance event,” Romney calls on Obama to stop the “hate,” and Romney rolls out his rancher’s coalition, here’s POLITICO’s Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

ON THE TRAIL TODAY—

OBAMA IN IOWA: The bus tour wraps up with two more rallies. Obama speaks at 12:30 CT in Dubuque and 5:35 CT in Davenport. The First Lady will introduce him at both stops. He gets back to the White House at 10:05.

ROMNEY IS FUNDRAISING: He has no public events.

RYAN IN OHIO: The congressman makes a college homecoming, with a 6 p.m. rally at Miami University of Ohio in Oxford (his Alma Mater).

BIDEN INVIRGINIA: Noon campaign speech at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg. Then he will return to DC.

COUNTDOWN: 84 days.

MEDICARE FLARE UP –

PAUL RYAN RENOUNCES MEDICARE CUTS IN HIS BUDGET: The congressman fielded FIVE QUESTIONS about Medicare from FoxNews’ Brit Hume in his first solo interview as Romney’s running mate, Emily Schultheis notes. “I am on the Romney ticket and what Mitt Romney is proposing is to repeal all of Obamacare,” he said. “And in the House, repeatedly, I have voted with that position. I support that position. I'm pleased to support the position of getting rid of every piece of Obamacare, including the cuts to Medicare which are used to pay for Obamacare…President Obama is actually damaging Medicare for current seniors. It’s irrefutable. That’s why I think this is a debate we want to have and that’s a debate we’re going to win.” CNN notes that Ryan is NOT mentioning Medicare at his rallies: http://bit.ly/MykJWZ. Here’s a video of the full 20-minute Fox interview: http://bit.ly/R1Hcwy.

OBAMA WEB VIDEO HITS RYAN ON VOUCHERS: Chicago highlights TV reports, including by ABC’s Jake Tapper and a CNN appearance by Paul Krugman, that say seniors could pay thousands more out of pocket and get less coverage under the voucher system advocated by Ryan. The tagline of the 90-second video: “Romney-Ryan: using bogus attacks to hide their plan to end Medicare.” Watch: http://bit.ly/R1MKHj.

FLORIDA PREVIEW – ALLEN WEST TARGETED WITH MEDICARE AD: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Patrick Murphy’s House campaign will jointly go on the air today to attack Allen West for supporting the Ryan budget. "Twice" features video footage of the firebrand conservative saying, "If you support Medicare the way it is now, you can kiss the United States of America goodbye." Script: “It's kind of amazing what comes out of Allen West's mouth, but even worse is how he voted – to end Medicare as we know it. Twice! Patrick Murphy is the right choice. A businessman and CPA, he'll fight for seniors, protect Medicare and Social Security.” The spot, Murphy’s first, will air on network and cable TV in the West Palm Beach-Treasure Coast market. Recent internal Democratic polling showed the race tied 45-45. Watch: http://bit.ly/OXLx0e.

ROMNEY AD SAYS OBAMA IS THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY CUT MEDICARE: “You paid in to Medicare for years every paycheck. Now, when you need it, Obama has cut $716 billion dollars from Medicare. Why? To pay for Obamacare! So now the money you paid for your guaranteed healthcare is going to a massive new government program that’s not for you. The Romney-Ryan plan protects Medicare benefits for today’s seniors and strengthens the plan for the next generation.” NBC says Romney is drawing on the playbook that let Republicans win the House in 2010 with these similarly-worded attacks: http://nbcnews.to/Oi3lEm. Watch the commercial: http://bit.ly/RfggeU.

RNC RESEARCH HIT: “On This Day In 2009, Obama Warned Americans That If We Did Nothing, Medicare Would Go Broke. Three Years Later All He Has Done Is Make The Problem Worse.” Four pages, including a link to the old video: http://bit.ly/Pc7taQ.

JOE DONNELLY LAUNCHING MICROSITE: The Democratic congressman highlights Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock’s past claim that Medicare and Social Security were unconstitutional. The site is called WhatMourdockSaysGoes.com: http://bit.ly/PXKZpM.

60 PLUS ASSOCIATION GOES UP IN FLORIDA, OHIO: The conservative group that aims to counter the AARP criticizes Democratic senators Bill Nelson (FL) and Sherrod Brown (OH) for voting to create “the Independent Payment Advisory Board” as part of the health care overhaul. A narrator says “unaccountable bureaucrats should never have the power to deny you the care you deserve.” Alex Burns, who got the ads early, reports that this is a half-million-dollar buy: http://politi.co/R1PVPc.

IN 2008, OBAMA ATTACKED MCCAIN FOR CUTTING MEDICARE: "How would your golden years turn out under John McCain? His health care plan would cut Medicare by $800 billion -- that means a 22 percent cut in benefits. Higher premiums and co-pays ... after a lifetime of work, senior's health care shouldn't be a gamble. John McCain's plan, it's not the change we need." http://huff.to/MZiuxs

IN 2005, OBAMA ATTACKED BUSH FOR NOT TAKING ON MEDICARE. BuzzFeed’s Andrew Kaczynski unearths this 40-second clip of saying that George W. Bush should focus on Medicare instead of Social Security because it’s breaking down rapidly: http://bit.ly/QAW1la.

HOUSE MAJORITY PAC, the Democratic Super PAC, highlights three internal polls to argue that emphasizing unpopular elements of the Ryan budget will move the needle in down-ballot races. 57% in Allen West’s district (FL-18) said they had “major concerns” after being read three sentences with negative information about it. 51% in NY-18 said they’re “much less likely” to vote for Nan Hayworth based on her vote for Ryan’s budget. 35% of independents in CA-52 found the Ryan budget “very concerning,” compared to 22% who said the same thing about Obamacare. http://bit.ly/OhPAFH

WEDNESDAY MESSAGING–

FULL-PAGE AD GREETS OBAMA IN QUAD-CITY TIMES: Fifteen local small business owners sign onto a letter for the Romney campaign to welcome President Obama to eastern Iowa. “Yes, we did build it, Mr. President,” they write. “And, no, Mr. President, the private sector is not doing fine.” See it here first: http://bit.ly/PjYC6l.

ROMNEY SPOT APPEALS TO HISPANICS: A Spanish-language ad from the campaign and the Republican National Committee, called “No Podemos Más,” highlights sad statistics about the economic struggles of Hispanics since Obama became president. Translated: 50% Of Graduates Cannot Find Work. More Than 10% Hispanic Unemployment. 2 Million More Hispanics In Poverty.” It starts and ends with Obama saying “si se puede” in 2008. Watch to see Romney approve the commercial en espanol: http://bit.ly/PoxK3c.

BOSTON BRACKETING PLANS, from a campaign official –

IN IOWA: “While the President continues his swing in Iowa, we will be holding events in Dubuque and Davenport on President Obama’s cuts to Medicare. And our Iowa Women for Mitt rollout will be held in Des Moines with Lt. Gov. Reynolds discussing President Obama’s cuts to Medicare.”

IN VIRGINIA: “Ahead of Vice President Biden’s event in Blacksburg, VA tomorrow, State Sen. Ralph Smith will hold a press conference to discuss Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s bold ideas to strengthen the middle class and deal with our long-term debt. He will contrast this with the Obama-Biden plan is to raid Medicare for current seniors to pay for Obamacare and keep Medicare on a path to bankruptcy. Additionally, in Arlington, VA former Obama campaign co-chair Artur Davis, Virginia GOP Victory Chair Pete Snyder and a local business owner will hold a press conference tomorrow to discuss the same topics.”

ROMNEY TO ROLL OUT FARMERS AND RANCHERS COALITION: As Obama wraps up a trip that has focused on Ag broadly and the drought specifically, Romney is highlighting Republican support in the farm belt. Among the national chairs are Florida Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam, a rising star, and Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns, the former Ag secretary. Here’s an advance look at the list of six national chairs, 42 co-chairs and members of the national advisory board: http://bit.ly/OXOlu7.

AFP AD SAYS IT’S OK TO NOT VOTE FOR OBAMA AGAIN: Three man-on-the-street types say they voted for Obama four years ago but he has not earned their vote this time in a 60-second ad that Mark Halperin says Koch-affiliated “Americans for Prosperity” is putting millions of dollars behind in the battlegrounds, including Wisconsin. Watch: http://ti.me/PXTr8m.

POLLING—

SUFFOLK/USA TODAY PREDICTS 90 MILLION ELIGIBLE VOTERS WON’T SHOW UP: “A nationwide [poll] of people who are eligible to vote but aren't likely to do so finds that these stay-at-home Americans back Obama's re-election over Romney by more than 2-1,” Susan Page writes. “Two-thirds of them say they are registered to vote. Eight in 10 say the government plays an important role in their lives.” http://usat.ly/TEkVo6

PPP (D) of OHIO): Obama leads 48-45. 34% view Ryan favorably, 33% unfavorably and 33% hold no opinion. It was in the field Thursday through Sunday though. http://bit.ly/Oannhf

PPP (D) of NEW HAMPSHIRE:Obama leads 51-45. The poll was done partly before and after the VP announcement, but it finds Ryan’s fav/unfav at 36/37, with 27% holding no opinion. http://bit.ly/PlouAr

GALLUP: 10% approve of the job Congress is doing, which ties for the lowest reading in the 38 years that they’ve tracked the number. http://bit.ly/MxWjNj

MORE: 75% of Americans are DISSATISFIED with the way things are going generally, says Gallup. 23% say they are satisfied, down from 28% last month: http://bit.ly/R1OArw. Sue Davis says in USA Today that this could be the least productive Congress since 1947: http://usat.ly/PjWyv0.

53% OF FLORIDA ADULTS OWN SMART PHONES: 41% do in Ohio, according to a survey written up by Bloomberg that was conducted by a digital firm which has an interest in people advertising digitally. http://bit.ly/PoosEt

RYAN ROLLOUT CONTINUES—

HE MET PRIVATELY WITH ADELSON IN VEGAS: “In keeping with [casino magnate Sheldon] Adelson’s penchant for staying below the radar, Romney aides refused to say who attended the meeting with Mr. Ryan, though the location (a private room at one of Mr. Adelson’s hotels) and leaks from the Romney camp left little doubt,” the New York Times’ Trip Gabriel and Nicholas Confessore report. “And in keeping with laws that prohibit elected officials from explicitly asking donors for super PAC money, aides to Mr. Romney insisted before the event that the meeting was not a fund-raiser. ‘It’s a finance event, not a fund-raiser,’ an aide told reporters.” http://nyti.ms/PY7j2u

WIFE’S LOBBYING COULD BECOME A LIABILITY: Janna Ryan was a registered lobbyist, “whose clients included the cigar industry, a logging company, drug makers, the health insurance industry and a nuclear power plant,” the Huffington Post’s Christina Wilkie reports. “Ryan, born Janna Christine Little, quit her lobbying job shortly after marrying her husband in late 2000…Over just three years, Ryan's 20 corporate clients paid more than $2.7 million in lobbying fees to her two employers, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Williams & Jensen, according to records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics…Drug industry clients included the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers Alliance (PhRMA), Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Novartis. Oil industry clients included Conoco and Marathon Oil. Big health insurance companies Blue Cross Blue Shield and Cigna were also on the list.” Story: http://huff.to/Pc6tTZ. Client roster: http://bit.ly/PXvM82.

HIS OLDER BROTHER WORKS IN PRIVATE EQUITY: Tobin Ryan is a partner with Seidler Equity Partners who once worked as a manager at consulting firm Bain & Company, Fortune reports, adding that “Romney had returned to Bain Capital by the time Ryan joined.” http://bit.ly/NE0Yth

HE HELPED THWART SIMPSON-BOWLES COMMISSION: “Romney is pitching Ryan as a problem solver who wants to use his command of the budget to forge bipartisan deals to solve the nation’s fiscal crisis. But in reality, Ryan, according to the recollection of some commission members and staffers, was a key part of the dynamic that undermined the commission and allowed the triumph of partisan and ideological loyalties over a budget deal,” Steven Sloan and John Bresnahan report. “Under its charter, the commission needed a supermajority of 14 members in order to give its formal endorsement to any recommendations. Ryan joined six other members—the dissenters came from both parties—in voting against the final proposal, with 11 members in favor.” http://politi.co/RfObUP

HE WON’T HELP WITH HISPANICS: Strategists in both parties say in the story leading our site that Romney may do worse with Latinos now because Ryan voted against the DREAM Act and his entitlement proposals poll especially poorly with minorities. Alex Burns and Emily Schultheis: http://politi.co/TEin9r.

BUT HE PROVED CROSSOVER APPEAL IN WISCONSIN: “The southeastern Wisconsin district that is home to [Ryan] should be risky terrain for the conservative Republican. It is packed with blue-collar families and union workers in a state that until recently was reliably Democratic,” Janet Hook writes in the Wall Street Journal. “But Mr. Ryan…has coasted to re-election by huge margins since he first was elected in 1998. It is a tribute to a winning personal style and deep family roots in the region, supporters say, along with a big campaign war chest that has helped scare off serious opponents.” http://on.wsj.com/ObiODf

MAUREEN DOWD SAYS HE’S CRUEL BUT CUTE: “He’s Scrooge disguised as a Pickwick, an ideologue disguised as a wonk,” she writes in a sure-to-be-buzzy column for today’s New York Times. “Not since Ronald Reagan tried to cut the budget by categorizing ketchup and relish as vegetables has the G.O.P. managed to find such an attractive vessel to mask harsh policies with a smiling face…The secretive, ambiguous Romney was desperate for ideological clarity, so he outsourced his political identity to Ryan, a numbers guy whose numbers don’t add up. This just proves that Romney will never get over his anxiety about not being conservative enough. As president, he’d still feel the need to prove himself with right-wing Supreme Court picks. Ryan should stop being so lovable. People who intend to hurt other people should wipe the smile off their faces.” http://nyti.ms/TEdZaI

BIDEN in Danville, Va.: “Look at what they’re proposing. [Romney] said in the first 100 days, he’s going to let the big banks write their own rules — unchain Wall Street. They’re going to put y’all back in chains.” http://politi.co/OXGaxY

OBAMA in Oskaloosa, Iowa, referred to Seamus the dog while talking about Romney’s quip that windmills cannot be put on top of cars: "I don't know if he's actually tried that. I know he's had other things on his car." http://politi.co/MZ6Uma

ROMNEY in Chillicothe, Ohio: “Mr. President, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting America.” Story from Reid Epstein wrapping up the day: http://politi.co/ROifo7. Here’s the full text of the governor’s speech: http://mi.tt/MZgHse.

PALIN SUGGESTS OBAMA REPLACE BIDEN WITH HILLARY: Reacting to Biden’s chains comment on Greta Van Susteren’s Fox show last night, Sarah Palin said: “There weren't enough groans and boos when he said such a disgusting comment, really, especially to a demographic there that is -- includes about 48 percent of the community being black Americans. Greta, if that's not the nail in the coffin, really, the strategists there in the Obama campaign have got to look at a diplomatic way of replacing Joe Biden on the ticket with Hillary. And I don't want to throw out that suggestion and have them actually accept the suggestion because then an Obama-Hillary Clinton ticket would have a darn good chance of winning. But really, Joe Biden really drags down that ticket.” Watch: http://bit.ly/ROHLJE.

GIULIANI SAYS BIDEN LACKS “MENTAL CAPACITY” TO BE VICE PRESIDENT: “I've never seen a vice president that has made as many mistakes, said as many stupid things,” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said on CNBC’s Kudlow Report last night. “I mean, there’s a real fear if, God forbid, he ever had to be entrusted with the presidency, whether he really has the mental capacity to handle it. I mean, this guy just isn’t bright. He’s never been bright. He isn’t bright. And people think, ‘Well, he just talks a little too much.’ Actually, he’s just not very smart.” Watch: http://bit.ly/Oi5bFd.

OBAMA TALKER—NEW HIGHER ED AD TELLS ROMNEY TO GET REAL: The ad starts with Romney suggesting people borrow money from their parents to go to college. “Hope they can afford it,” a narrator says. “Romney’s plans could cut college aid for nearly ten million students and eliminate the tax deduction for college tuition. President Obama eliminated bank middlemen from college loans and used the savings to double college grants.” This will air in Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia: http://bit.ly/NkZZio.

THAT PRIORITIES USA SPOT RUNS ONCE: The controversial cancer ad ran in Cleveland yesterday: http://bit.ly/Pcg4KF. Bill Burton confirms that it aired to Robin Bravender but called it a "station error."

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THE PATH TO 270—DEM REGISTRATION DOWN IN KEY STATES: A new Third Way report finds that Democratic voter registration is down by more than 800,000 since 2008 in 8 key battleground states, Charlie Mahtesian scoops. “GOP registration has also declined – but by only 79,000, a tenth of the Democrats’ losses. Meanwhile, registered independents are on the rise, increasing their numbers in those states by nearly half-a-million…The number of [North Carolina] independents grew by 207,173 (14.4%), meaning they now comprise a quarter of registered voters. In the state’s two largest counties, Charlotte’s Mecklenberg County and Raleigh’s Wake County, independent registration increased by nearly 11 percent and 17 percent respectively since 2008. Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico have also posted double-digit percentage gains in the number of independent voters since the last presidential election.” http://politi.co/TEiYIt

BROWN RADIO AD WARNS OF TAXMAGEDDON: “The hardest hit will be the middle class, with families seeing an average increase in their tax bill of $4,138 dollars,” Sen. Scott Brown (R) says in a 60-second commercial. “With our economy already on the edge, raising taxes will push us over the cliff. Yet, some people are eager to see tax rates rise…Congress needs to act now to keep ‘Taxmageddon’ from happening.” Listen: http://bit.ly/PovokV.

DEM VIDEO HITS BROWN ON WALL STREET FUNDRAISERS: The state’s Democratic Party highlights Scott Brown’s trip to New York City for a fundraiser today and “another hosted by a former junk bond trader for Lehman Brothers” on Saturday. As Pink Floyd’s “Money” plays, the one-minute video highlights that the Republican has received more than $2 million from the financial services industry. Exclusive: http://bit.ly/OaGfww.

CALIFORNIA HOUSE – CARDOZA RESIGNS SO HE CAN CASH IN: “Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) — who had previously said that he would retire after this year — abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday, citing ‘increasing parenting challenges,’” per Seung Min Kim. “And as of Thursday, he’ll have a new job: At the D.C. practice for the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP…Cardoza’s new position at Manatt, a well-known law firm, will be managing director in its federal government affairs and public policy practice…No special election will be held to fill Cardoza’s seat. With Cardoza’s resignation, there will now be five empty seats in the House.” http://politi.co/PXrXj8

OHIO HOUSE – JOE THE PLUMBER SAYS “START SHOOTING” AT BORDER: “Congressional candidate Samuel ‘Joe’ Wurzelbacher called for building a fence and to ‘start shooting’ as part of the solution to illegal immigration at a political event over the weekend in Arizona,” the Toledo Blade reports today. “Mr. Wurzelbacher, known as ‘Joe the Plumber,’ is the Republican challenger to U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) in the 9th Congressional District. He spoke Friday night at a fund-raiser in Prescott, Ariz., for Arizona state Sen. Lori Klein. ‘For years I've said, 'Put a damn fence on that border going to Mexico and start shooting … ' That's how I feel. I'm not going to hide it just because I'm running for office…’ Mr. Wurzelbacher said.” He’s not going to win this race, but these comments still bear noting. http://bit.ly/R1VLjG

THE JUICE – COOPER WILL BE CANTOR COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Majority Leader Eric Cantor has hired Cooper from the Heritage Foundation, where he’s been communications director and worked on digital strategy. In the 1990s, he worked at the RGA and NRCC. Post-9/11, he was an aide at the White House under President Bush coordinating government affairs and communications at the Homeland Security Council. He starts after the conventions.

LIGHTER CLICKS –

CHELSEA CLINTON cooperates with VOGUE for a long profile and photo spread in which she says she might run for office. http://bit.ly/PcfaO1.

CNN posts a group photo of Ryan with his fraternity brothers at Delta Tau Delta in 1990 and 1992: http://bit.ly/PXnzRl.

DANIEL INOUYE keynoted the 1968 DNC in Chicago. Here’s a fun 22-photo slideshow of past speakers that will be catnip for political history buffs: http://politi.co/PXnWLz.

CODA – QUOTE OF THE DAY: "With your help, we can win North Carolina again!" – Joe Biden at a rally in Virginia http://bit.ly/QAW4xr

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